May the Best Character Win!
by IbelieveinJackFrost
Summary: Merlin thinks he's the most popular character, and Arthur disagrees. He sees himself as the most popular character. They'll go through a series of challenges which the fans can vote on to decide who really is the best! LOTS of breaking the 4th wall, and NO SLASH. Humor, and all sorts of fun inside! T cuz I don't really know how the rating system works. No adult stuff.
1. Prologue: A Challenge

_**Prologue: A Challenge**_

_** A.N. Hey there, this would be my first and a half Merlin fanfiction… I've got one going at the moment as well that I'm hoping to finish soon, but we'll see. I thought this up with a friend of mine, and I just had to start it. Anyways, I'm hoping to make this fairly interactive, so reviews would be AMAZING. (you'll see why in a moment, hopefully). But I'll stop bothering you now. **_

_**P.S. I don't actually own Merlin, I just let people think I do.**_

"Ahem. I would like to bring to attention the fact that a certain king, whose name I won't mention at the moment, *cough* Arthur *cough*, thinks that the fans like him better than me. Now that insinuation is utter ridiculous! I mean, the show is called _Merlin, _for goodness sake! Who ever heard of a show called _Arthur_? It sounds ridiculous!" Merlin was abruptly cut off as the king in question stormed into the room.

"Maybe you've forgotten, MERlin, that this show is based on Arthurian legend. Obviously, I am the stronger character," Arthur proclaimed, showing off his admittedly superior muscles. Merlin glared at him for a moment before continuing his speech.

"As I was saying before I was so _rudely _interrupted, I'm proposing a challenge! A series of fanfiction tests where we will undergo only the most difficult scenarios imaginable, and let the fans tell us who's the best!" Merlin announced, smirking at Arthur. Arthur glared back. He definitely couldn't say no to this, as that would be admitting defeat before the battle. _Besides, _he thought, _it's not like the fans will put us through too much… Will they? _

"Ugh, fine Merlin, we'll do your silly tests. Just don't be too upset when you lose. I don't want to have you bursting into tears in your first non-crossover fanfiction. It would be very undignified for me to have my image tarnished by a girly servant," Arthur said snidely. Merlin grinned.

"That's settled then. Hey fans, we'll be doing things such as a whump-off, angst-off, fluff-off and more! If you've got ideas, or even better, a vote on which of us is the best, just leave a review and we'll handle it from there! I look forward to seeing you in the soon to come chapters, so bye for now!"

_**Yeppp that's the beginning, guys. NOW you see why I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE reviews! Please do vote and/or leave ideas that I can use. Thanks! **_


	2. Chapter 1: Children

_**Chapter 1. Children**_

_**OR, as an alternate title, 'I'm Taking it Easy on Them Cuz it's the First One'. Don't worry, there's more to come Mwahahahahahah! **_

"So how does this work, exactly," asked Arthur uneasily. "Do we have to memorize scripts or something?" Merlin chuckled and pointed upwards.

"While one of us is having our turn, the other really doesn't have to _do _anything. The writer will create a double to act as you or I, or even any other characters we might need," Merlin said. As if on cue, another Arthur appeared in the room, looking… well looking as Arthur usually does: annoyed. Arthur number one waked up to his double curiously.

"Are you sure this is safe?" He asked dubiously. For a moment, Merlin hesitated.

"Not really, no. After all, fanfiction writers can be quite dangerous for us TV show characters," Merlin said, wincing at the memory of some of the things he had heard that writers tended to put him through.

"Hold on, if there are thousands of fanfictions about us, then why do I only remember this one and that weird crossover thing that went nowhere?" Arthur asked, thoroughly confused.

"Well, as far as I can tell, each writer kind of gets their own 'incarnation' of us. Since our writer is still relatively new, we've only been in one other besides this," Merlin said. This did very little to rid Arthur of his confusion, but as he didn't really want to contemplate the idea of thousands of Merlins running around, he let it lie.

"Alright then, fine. What is the challenge for this chapter?" Arthur sighed.

"That's the spirit! It's uhm… uhm…" Merlin trailed off looking confused, then he turned to the duplicate Arthur. "What is the challenge for this chapter?"

"It's a Child!fic challenge. I thought I'd start you on something easy- just to test the waters and such," he replied. Arthur looked from Merlin to his duplicate then back again, raising his eyebrows in question.

"That's really the only way for the writer to communicate with us," Merlin explained. "Aside from the Author's Notes of course, but those are more for the readers than anyone else," he said. Arthur groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was getting more confusing by the minute.

"Look, let's just get on with this okay? Why don't you go first, because I still have no idea how this is going to work," Arthur said, his tone of voice conveying his annoyance.

"Alright, alright, don't get you're pretty red cape in a knot," Merlin turned to the duplicate Arthur. "Ready then?" The double nodded, and everything went black.

**Setting: In the forest near Ealdor; Merlin is eight. **

"Come _on, _Will! I saw it over here!" Merlin shouted to his best friend. Earlier, he had noticed a brightly colored bird he had never seen before flitting about in this general area. Not wanting to deprive his friend from the opportunity of seeing it as well, he had rushed home to find him. Now, they were dashing around the dense trees in hopes of finding it again. Merlin gasped. There it was!

The bird was the brightest blue he'd ever seen with an equally bright orange tummy. Merlin would have squealed in delight, but he was afraid that the bird would be startled and fly away. Merlin stole a glance behind him and realized in dismay that Will was nowhere to be seen. _Will must've lost sight of me, _he thought sadly. Merlin had really wanted his friend to see the bird. Allowing his magic to muffle his movements slightly, Merlin approached the lovely creature. Although after a moment, he realized it was unnecessary. The bird was fully aware of his presence and seemed unafraid of him. Merlin reached out his hand toward it and was about to touch its radiant feathers when something orange darted out of the undergrowth and lunged toward the bird.

Merlin quickly identified the creature as a fox, and realized with horror that it was going to kill the bird. _His bird. _Merlin put an arm out in front of the fox and cried out in pain as its teeth sank into him. He jerked his arm out of its grasp and instinctively clutched it to himself. Meanwhile, the fox used its opportunity to lunge once again at the bird which, while it had flown a little distance away, had not kept out of the fox's reach. Upon realizing this, Merlin reached out again, trying to grab the fox, pull it back, just do _something _to save the bird, but couldn't. His injured arm flared up in pain and he faltered just enough for the fox to catch the bird by the neck. Merlin cried out in dismay and his eyes instinctively flared gold. The fox yelped in pain, let go of the bird, and ran off.

Slowly, Merlin approached the bird, hoping that maybe it was okay. The fox had only had it for a moment, so it was fine, right? The boy reached out and gently touched the bright blue bird, whose feathers were now stained read. When it didn't move, fat tears began to leak out of his eyes. He put his hand on the bird and let his magic flow into the creature, willing it to be healed. Again, there was no response. Crying openly, Merlin scooped the bird up and did the only thing he could think of; he would take the bird to his mother. His mother always fixed things, made them better. She could fix the bird! Merlin began to run through the forest, ignoring the startled shouts of Will as he ran past. This was more important. Finally, Merlin reached his house.

His mother was out working in the garden. Upon seeing her son running towards her, crying, holding something tightly in his arms, one of which was bloody, she rushed to meet him.

"Mother, there was a fox, it attacked the bird and—and-" Merlin broke into fresh sobs and just held out the dead creature to her. Hunith's heart melted at the sight and she sighed. She could tell the poor creature was dead.

"Merlin, dear, look at me. That's right. We need to go inside and take care of your arm," she said gently, and began to guide him to the house. However, Merlin pulled away.

"No, you have to fix the bird!" He said, his voice hitching and desperate.

"Oh, Merlin…" Hunith embraced her son tenderly, "I can't. I'm sorry." Some part of Merlin had already known, but his face crumpled all the same and his eyes filled once again. Hunith said nothing more, but put her arm around the boy's shoulders and once again moved him towards the house. This time, he didn't resist. At some point, Merlin's mother took the bird from him and set it gently outside in the flower bed she had recently planted.

That night, when his mother was asleep, Merlin lay awake in his cot. He felt his magic suddenly surge within him and he had the familiar feeling of his eyes changing into gold. Then it was gone. Merlin wasn't sure, but not long after that, he thought he heard something fluttering in the garden outside.

When the Merlin came back into the regular light of the castle room he had been in, he grinned.

"See Arthur? That's all there is to it! And just try and outdo _that _performance," Merlin smirked at Arthur, confident of his own victory. Arthur just scowled and sent a glance at where the duplicate of him had been standing moments ago. Now, it was Merlin's double.

"Great, now there's two of you. I don't think the world will survive. Eternal chatter and clumsiness will reign," Arthur teased. Merlin's eyes flared gold, causing Arthur to trip suddenly.

"What was that about clumsiness, Sire?" He asked innocently. Arthur started toward Merlin menacingly and was reaching out for him when everything went black again.

**Setting: In Camelot; Arthur is (surprise, surprise) also eight. **

Arthur sat silently across from his father. He hated these 'family dinners'. They were always awkward; neither father nor son ever said much to one another. However, tonight Arthur had a subject he desperately wanted to talk about. His mother. Uther had never told Arthur very much about Ygraine. Aside from occasional comments such as, 'she was a fine woman', or 'magic stole her from me' when he was feeling particularly anti-magic. Arthur was gathering up his courage when he was interrupted.

"Arthur, is there something bothering you? You seem occupied," said Uther. Arthur was mildly surprised at the sudden interaction. This helped give him the boost in confidence that he needed.

"Father, can you tell me about Mother? You never say much and-"

"No, Arthur. I do not wish to speak about such things tonight," Uther cut him off. Arthur did not miss the hint of warning coloring the king's tone. Nonetheless, he chose to ignore it.

"But you _never _want to talk about her! Please, can't you just tell me what she was like?" Arthur pleaded, missing the subtle warnings Leon was sending him. For a moment, Uther simply regarded his son coldly.

"You must learn to know your place, Arthur. You may not speak to me that way. I do not wish to talk about Ygraine," he said coldly. Arthur stood up.

"Yes father. I am done eating, if I may be dismissed," Arthur said hiding how upset he was behind cold courtesy. Uther simply waved him away while taking a sip from his goblet. Arthur turned and left the room, keeping a normal walking pace until the door closed behind him. Then, he broke into a run. He didn't know where he was going, just that he wanted to run _somewhere. _Truth be told, he didn't know why he was running either. He just let his legs take him where they would. He just barely registered that he had left the castle.

Finally, Arthur had to stop moving due to exhaustion. For what seemed like hours, he stood there with his hands on his knees, panting, sobs leaking through once in a while. When he finally regained his composure, Arthur looked around. He suddenly and painfully realized that he had absolutely no idea where he was. It was nighttime, and thus very dark in the forest. The young prince looked around wildly for a moment before seeing something that didn't quite make sense. It was just a little ball of blue light, swirling around. Arthur couldn't help but follow it. It moved a short distance forward, to where he found a clearing. Arthur could just make out the silhouette of another young boy, but he couldn't see any clear features, besides his startlingly golden eyes. _He's a sorcerer, _Arthur realized.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Magic is illegal, you know," Arthur proclaimed loudly. The boy jumped, the gold faded from his eyes, and he fled. Arthur considered pursuit, but decided against it. After all, the boy hadn't hurt anyone. He'd just made a harmless ball of light. _Besides, _Arthur reasoned, _I don't need to get even further away from home. I'm going to have enough trouble finding my way back as it is. _Arthur was going to turn and find some sort of shelter for the night; he figured that he could trace his way back in the morning when it was lighter, but he saw another kind of light in the forest. At first, he thought it was that boy again, but then reconsidered. This light brought with it a feeling of familiarity, as if it knew him somehow. Arthur made his way toward it. He reached yet another clearing in the trees. This clearing radiated warmth and light. It made Arthur feel wonderful. In the center, there was a woman sitting on a boulder. She was blonde, wearing a long, white, spotless dress. Arthur knew who she was.

"Mother?" He asked tentatively. The woman said nothing, but she nodded, smiled warmly, and held out her arms to her son. Tears sprang into Arthur's eyes. He didn't understand why or how she was here, but he knew that this was his mother. He sprang forward and threw himself into her arms. She held him tightly, gently running her fingers through his hair.

The two of them sat like that for a long while, until Arthur fell asleep in his mother's arms. She held him until dawn, protecting him from any harm through the night. Close to morning, the boy Arthur had seen approached the clearing, simply walking through Ygraine's defenses. He didn't know her or the boy, but he had felt compelled to go there. Ygraine smiled at him.

"You're the one, aren't you little boy?" She mused, partly to herself. The child, however puffed up somewhat at the term 'little boy'.

"I'm taller than Tommy Stern, and he's older than me!" He stated indignantly. Ygraine smiled slightly.

"Yes, I'm sure dear," she said simply. The boy looked curiously at Arthur nestled in her lap.

"Who is he?" He asked.

"Someone very important. You'll know him one day, but for now you should go. People are coming for this one soon, and it isn't time for you to meet them yet," Ygraine said. The boy nodded although he didn't quite understand, and ran off once again. Ygraine sighed and brushed her son's hair from his face one final time before setting him on the stone.

"I love you, Arthur." Then she was gone.

When Arthur stepped back into the light, he glared at Merlin.

"That's not fair, Merlin! I didn't sneak into _your _chapter!" He huffed indignantly. Merlin simply shrugged in response.

"You forget that it wasn't me. Blame the writer, she put in the duplicate! I was just sitting here watching, minding my own business the whole time," Merlin countered. Arthur opened and closed his mouth several times, looking very much like a largemouth bass until he realized there was really nothing to say to that. Merlin just laughed at his expression, knowing he had one that particular battle.

"Okay guys, now the rest is up to you! Let us know who's better, although I already know it's gonna be me," Merlin bowled forward as Arthur threw a convenient goblet at his head and it found its mark. "Why'd you do that?!" Merlin whined.

"Hey, don't blame me, blame the writer," Arthur retorted. Merlin and Arthur began to bicker back and forth, most likely arguing over who would win this round of the contest, but for now, I'll just leave it up to you. See you next chapter!

**A.N. So yeah, if you read this THANKS and if you reviewed this DOUBLE THANKS, and again, I hope to see you soon! **


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